Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) may be used to conduct various military and non-military operations. Such operations may include, for example, maritime reconnaissance, undersea searching, undersea surveying, submarine tracking and trailing, monitoring of various types of sea traffic, monitoring animal and plant life, and communication and/or navigational aids. These and other operational capabilities make UUVs a potential option in providing a seagoing component for homeland security. In a homeland security scenario, multiple UUVs could be deployed along the coasts of the country, and conduct various security-related monitoring and surveillance operations.
For most military and homeland security operations, it may be desirable that the UUVs remain submerged for relatively long periods of time. As such, many UUVs may include a power plant that is powered by a power source that can generate a desired level of power while the UUV remains submerged, while at the same time generating a relatively low level of acoustic noise. Various types of power sources have been used and/or developed that meet one or more of these objectives. Some examples include batteries, and rechargeable heat sources. Although batteries and rechargeable heat sources may be advantageous from a cost standpoint, both of these types of power sources may need periodic recharging.
In addition to the need to be periodically recharged or refueled, at some point during UUV operation, it may be desirable to retrieve various types of data from, and to supply various types of data to, the UUV. Such data can include stored intelligence data, data associated with equipment on-board the UUV, and data that updates UUV mission programming.
In many current UUVs, the need to periodically recharge, and/or retrieve data from, and/or supply data to, the UUV may require that the UUV be periodically retrieved, and taken out of service. In many instances, this results in the UUV being surfaced, and removed from the water, in order to conduct these operations. Moreover, some current UUVs may be periodically taken out of service to inspect on-board equipment to determine if maintenance should be conducted. In both instances, this can be a costly and time-consuming operation, and can reduce overall mission effectiveness.
Hence, there is a need for a system and method that will recharge a UUV, and/or retrieve data from, and/or supply data to, a UUV without having to surface the UUV and remove it from the water. The present invention addresses one or more of these needs.